【推荐2】Cheesy Pizza Stuffing

The night before serving, spread the bread pieces on a sheet pan and let sit on the counter to dry out. Alternatively, you can bake them at 250 degrees until completely dried out and no longer soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

When ready to make the stuffing, transfer the bread to a large bowl. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch or 8-by-11-inch baking dish with softened butter. Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high and add the thinly sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook until fragrant, about I minute.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then beat in the milk. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and toss with two spoons until evenly coated. Add 1 cup mozzarella and toss again until well combined. Let sit until the bread fully absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the stuffing and any accumulated liquid to the greased baking dish, spread out evenly and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. (To make ahead, you can stop at this stage, cover the dish and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is melted, 15 to 25 minutes. (You may need to add a few minutes to the bake time if the stuffing has been refrigerated.)

【推荐3】Do you enjoy eating a nice piece of a cow? Or pig back meat? Chances are that you do, though you’re more likely to call these dishes beef and bacon. But why do the words for these animals change after they’re killed and served? And why does this change only happen with certain meats?

To answer these questions, we have to step back almost 1,000 years into the past, as the current saying is that this linguistic phenomenon (语言现象) results from the Norman invasion (侵略) of England.

In 1066, the Old French-speaking Normans took control of the Anglo-Saxons, who spoke Old English. The Norman rulers used different measures of oppression (压迫的措施), but they also introduced their language. They used French words for the meat that appeared on their tables. Meanwhile, the Old English words were still used by the Anglo-Saxons who farmed and raised the animals. Such was the Norman influence on England that their terms for meat have always been there as part of the modern English language for cuisine (烹饪).

It’s not just adult cows that got a new name after they were killed and prepared for Norman dinners. A young cow is called a “calf”, and this word comes from Old English. However, the animal is changed into “veal” after it is cooked.

Besides the word pig, which, like cow, has Old English origins (来源), the Anglo-Saxons used to use the word “swine” for these animals. Both became pork when the Normans ate their meat, though.

Chicken is one of several exceptions. While the Normans used the French word poulet for chicken meat, this became “pullet” in English. This word is only really used by chicken farmers. No one is quite sure why this happened! Here’s another exception, as fish is fish regardless of whether it’s swimming in a river or appearing on a dinner table. One possibility for why the French word poisson has never entered the English language is that it’s too close to “poison” — something no one wants to eat!

【推荐1】Chinese paper cutting or, “jianzhi” is the art of cutting paper designs, and the cut-outs are also used to decorate doors and windows, so they are sometimes called “chuang hua”. Paper cutting has long been a symbol of Eastern charm.

There are symmetrical (对称的) designs that are usually created by some folding and cutting. When unfolded, it forms a symmetrical design. Chinese cut-outs are normally symmetrical and are usually in an even number series of 2, 4, 24. etc.

The oldest surviving paper cut-out is a symmetrical circle from the early 6th century found in Xinjiang, China. From the 7th to 13th century, paper cutting became popular especially during Chinese festivals. The art spread to the rest of the world in the 14th century. Throughout the Qing Dynasty many paper cutting skills were developed including drafting and the use of smoked paper. By the end of the Qing ruling however, paper cutting was once on the decline because new art forms were being introduced. The People’s Republic of China later tried to revive the art in the 1980s.

Today, paper cut-outs are chiefly decorative. They decorate walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes and are also used on presents or are given as gifts themselves. Entrances decorated with paper cut-outs are supposed to bring good luck. Paper cut-outs used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery (刺绣).

There are two methods of manufacture (加工): one uses scissors, and the other uses knives. In the scissor method, several pieces of paper—up to eight—are fastened together. The image is then cut with sharp, pointed scissors. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of oil and ashes. Skilled crafters can even cut out different drawings freely without stopping.

【推荐3】With a box, a lamp, and a piece of white paper, Hakobyan Aleta handmade a simple shadow play (皮影戏) stage. Believing shadow play is an excellent way to tell stories of Chinese myths, legends, and culture, she has posted videos online, which went viral, receiving 6 million likes and 10 million views.

Coming to China years ago, the girl has visited places like Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, saying she likes the country’s various folk tales and wonderful myths. For a long time, she had been seeking for a creative storytelling way to share the folk tales she collected Luckily, she came across a shadow play show in a museum in Xi’an, and realized this was what she wanted to do. In the shadow plays, performers stay behind a white curtain, control the shadow puppets (木偶) made from animal skins, and move along with the songs of local operas.“I was excited watching it for the first time about a famous military general in Chinese history. The staff invited me to see the puppets, and I was impressed by the colors and flexibility,” Aleta recalled.

Arriving home, Aleta started her research to make a shadow play stage. Learning from videos, she built it with a box, a light, white paper, and other tools. Aleta also tried to make shadow puppets. Unlike the traditional way of making shadow puppets with animal skins, Aleta printed puppet figures on paper and then carefully cut and carved them into shapes. Her lirst shadow play told a moving love story in Chinese legend. “The story is about love, the moon, and he hope for reunion, which is similar to a family reunion theme on the Mid-Autumn Day in China,” Aleta said. To enrich her story materials, Aleta has been learning Chinese traditional culture, which has become her inspiration. For instance. When making scenes related to the Qixi Festival, she learned a lot about China’s traditional weddings. Aleta’s videos have won many audience, who said the videos make them understand more Chinese culture.

【推荐3】One warm summer morning, Elizabeth, the nanny of the William’s, went back from outside with the little boy, Josh. When she stepped into the house from the front door, she could tell that something was wrong but she couldn’t point a finger at exactly what it was. Just as she was about to dash out to find Josh, the little boy ran from behind her back, straight into the house for his toys.   

That’s when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Her heart missed a beat. Knowing that Josh’s parents were not home, she ran inside the house, caught the little boy swiftly and headed straight for the gate. She hit the neighbor’s door heavily to seek help and called the police.

When David William returned home and checked the monitor, what he saw scared the life out of him. A strongly built middle-aged stranger walked around the house and searched every corner, being careful not to miss any valuables. And the most frightening for David was to see him even slipping into Josh’s room. It was also terrifying to see that he was on his phone with someone guiding him on what to do. When Elizabeth opened the front door, he realized it was time to leave. He ran out just a few moments after Elizabeth and the boy left, getting away from the police.

The Williams feel so grateful to Elizabeth for what she has done daily and saving their little boy when she could have easily run leaving the child behind. Elizabeth is called “supernanny” by the family. But Elizabeth said it was just her normal duty. “When his parents are away they put their trust in me to keep him safe.” Although she is still terrified at the thought of what could have happened if she had come face to face with that man, she is willing to continue doing her work.